6of17Chuck Blount notes how easily the skin can be peeled from a smoked peach after 25 minutes in a smoker set to 250 degrees. Peaches came out the best out of the nine fruits tested for “Will it Smoke?”Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

7of17The firebox was filled with apple wood for the fruit test, loaded with enough wood to get the off-set device to a 250 degree cooking temperature.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

8of17The sliced avocados begin to take on a smoky appearance along with other fruits on the grill as Chuck Blount attempts to discover which fruits turn out the best when smoked.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

11of17Sliced mangoes, avocados, peaches, grapefruit and pineapple wait to see if they will take to being put on the smoker with other fruits using apple wood.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

12of17Sliced mangoes, avocados, peaches, grapefruit and pineapple wait to see if they will take to being put on the smoker with other fruits using apple wood.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

14of17Sliced avocados (center) yielded one of the most impressive results in the smoker, with a smoky finish and creamy texture that begged to be made into a smoked guacamole.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

15of17Chuck Blount places sliced grapefruit, along with strawberries, red seedless grapes, mangos, avocados, peaches, watermelon and pineapple to see if they will work in the smoker.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

16of17Chuck Blount tests a variety of fruits including pineapple, mangoes, peaches, strawberries, red grapes, bananas, avocados, grapefruit and watermelon to see if they will take to being put on the smoker using apple wood smoke at Chuck's Food Shack.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

Fruit has a lot of great things going for it. It’s healthy, refreshing and, with varieties harvested from all over the globe, it offers a chance to taste the world.

Fruit is traditionally the perfect grab-and-go snack with no cooking required, but if you expose it to a little heat, it can take on a completely different texture. Watermelon and pineapple can take to a hot grill the same way that a piece of steak will, with a blackened seer that takes in the charcoal flavor.

But in the old R&D department, there is very little documentation out there that advocates putting fruit varieties in the smoker. That’s where Chuck’s Food Shack comes in with another edition of the occasional project: Will it Smoke? The results were eye-opening.

I selected nine fruits and smoked them all the same way: 25 minutes of smoke on apple wood (because it made sense to smoke fruit with fruit) over lump hardwood charcoal, with the off-set device set to about 250 degrees.

Results are rated as smokeless, smoke-ish and holy smokes! Here are the fruity findings:

Avocados: Fat takes on smoke, and there’s about 20 grams of it in your typical avocado, so expectations were high. The fruit (halved with the skin left on to keep it more manageable) took on a nice brown char after 25 minutes, and the heat melted the inside to a creamy consistency that could easily be consumed with a spoon. It might not be the prettiest dish, but this was a successful enough test that I think smoked guacamole could and should be a thing.

Verdict: Holy smokes!

Bananas: I have a feeling that the peeled bananas fell victim to the trial conditions, and needed more time to develop (at least 15 additional minutes). Bananas have such a distinct flavor and hearty texture, the smoke wasn’t able to alter it much. The fruit did take on some nice grill marks though. .

Verdict: Smokeless

Grapes: Yes, you absolutely can smoke grapes, but the end result was a love it or hate it creation. I was pretty unimpressed, but others who tasted them thought the grapes exploded with smoke on the back end. Oddly enough, whole smoked grapes (red seedless were used) fared far better than halved ones that turned rubbery.

Verdict: Smoke-ish

Mangoes: Leave the skin on the mango and cut it into three or four big chunks. Mangoes are delicious on their own, but the smoke and heat turned the fruit into a delicious treat that took on a parfaitlike consistency.

Verdict: Holy smokes!

Strawberries: Strawberries were halved to produce more opportunity for the smoke to penetrate. On the palate, the berries at first tasted fresh and held that distinct strawberry flavor, but after about 15 seconds, the puff of smoke hit the back of the throat. It’s probably best to leave ’em as nature made ’em.

Verdict: Smoke-ish

Peaches: One of my favorite fruits to grill is also a standout on the smoker, taking it all in like a sponge. Halve the peaches and place them skin-side down. After 25 minutes, the peaches are tanned, caramelized and the skin can be peeled off with a slight tug of the thumb. This will be a regular thing during my future cooks, and it was the best out of everything tested.

Verdict: Holy smokes!

Pineapple: If it weren’t for the 25-minute limitation, I would be tempted to smoke a whole pineapple as if it were a pork shoulder for four to five hours (this could be Food Shack down the road). With the time limit, I went the sliced route, and it was a winner. The slices took on a gooey glaze, and fell just short of the peaches as the best of the bunch.

Verdict: Holy smokes!

Grapefruit: I cut the grapefruit up into half-inch slices so the smoke could hit it from both sides. The pink center showed signs that it was taking it in, but after a taste, the powerful citrus elements drowned out the smoke. I have a feeling that oranges, lemons and limes would behave similarly.

Verdict: Smokeless

Watermelon: Slices of watermelon, brushed with olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, are fantastic on a hot grill and will take on the sear like a good steak. The smoker yielded results that weren’t so spectacular, and it simply tasted like warmed watermelon that looked like it was a victim of culinary torture.

Chuck Blount is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years in the field. His weekly poker column is internationally syndicated and has appeared weekly since 2005. In addition to writing duties, he is also an assistant sports editor.

Prior to the Express-News, he was a sportswriter for the Idaho Falls Post-Register, covering Idaho State athletics and high schools. He is a 1998 University of Iowa graduate.